Chuck Me Baby One Last Time

It’s been a fun five years for the average guy turned super-spy! I've invested so much in "Chuck", and it's given me so much back, I'm grateful to blog about it one last time...

I’m not going to say that Season Five of NBC’s “Chuck” was as great as past seasons (especially the remarkable Season Two), but it certainly was an entertaining victory lap for our favorite characters! This season confirmed that Chuck doesn’t need the Intersect to be a super-spy, Sarah doesn’t have to be alone and Casey doesn’t have to be unloved.

This also didn’t mean that there was no growth this season. Casey's relationship with Getrude Verbanski added a new facet to his character, while Morgan and Sarah showed how the Intersect affected people differently. Yet my favorite character growth this season has to be Jeff. Once he stopped sleeping in his van (and no longer inhaling the carbon monoxide fumes inside), he became Smart Jeff, able to figure out Chuck’s secret life all on his own!

And it wasn’t as if the guest stars stopped appearing. There was that guy from Star Wars, the guy from "Farscape", the lady from "Charlie’s Angels" and the gal who got cut up (literally!) in Turistas, but the one guest star that really impressed was Carrie Ann Moss (from The Matrix) as Verbanski. She was tough when she had to be, funny when she wanted to be and loving despite herself. In short, she was the female equivalent of Adam Baldwin’s Casey, and thus worthy of his (and our) love!

Despite Chuck not having the Intersect for virtually all of this season, it played an important part. The Intersect made Morgan a jerk, gave Sarah amnesia and provided motivation for the two main villains, Shaw and Quinn. By the series finale (Chuck vs. The Goodbye), with one last Intersect upload left, Chuck opts to save the day by using it on himself, not to restore Sarah’s memories -- leaving Sarah ignorant of the love she felt with Chuck. Yet we are left with the impression that Sarah will regain her love for Charles Bartowski. She fell in love with him despite the Intersect, not because of it!

“Chuck” being equal parts action, comedy and romance, a big part of the show’s success was the acting of its three stars. Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah) was an action revelation. Baldwin did a great job balancing action with comedy. And what can you say about Zac Levi (Chuck)? His ability to bare his emotions onscreen gave “Chuck” its heart!

Chuck has done something Batman, Wonder Woman and Captain Kirk never could: enable his/her show to never get cancelled! I’ll leave you with that thought…

… after this: did anyone honestly think that “Chuck” would end without one last Jeffster! performance? Germany beckons!

My Favorite Episode: Chuck vs. The Santa Suit

My Favorite Line: “Canada?”

Coolest Moment (I’m claiming three): 1) Shaw outthought, then outfought by Chuck, 2) Casey out-drawing a six person hit squad without them firing a single bullet, and 3) Jeffster!'s final performance

Charah Moment: “Chuck, tell me our story.” - Sarah

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Update: Someone was bold enought to upload Jeffster!'s entire performance. Contrast that with the original sequence on "Chuck" last friday.  Vik Sahay (Lester) has an amazing singing voice!